Live data from Hacker News

Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

blog.google

151–160 of 174 posts

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#151

I want to comment on the anti Affirmative Action arguments here. I went to a really prestigious high school in New York City. For the summer of my junior year, our AP Computer Science teacher hooked up a few of us with internships at the finance firms, specifically in tech (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.). Now, sure, I did really well and studied really hard to get into my high school. However, I did practically…

If you were the one who gets screwed by AA, you would have told another story. This is what liberals do. Already have your piece of pie and play the moral high ground. How about you giving your spot to a black kid?

Arguably I did get "screwed over" by Affirmative Action in terms of what college I got into (still salty about it). But this program with Howard University is really different than traditional, admissions-based Affirmative Action. It's increasing the supply, not lowering it or putting a quota on it. I'm not saying I didn't earn my spot at my school, but I definitely got lucky with that internship, which I don't feel like I earned. I was making a simple point about the side effects we get as "hard workers" that have much deeper benefits than we tend to think. And I'm not sure those side effects are always deserved.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of affirmative action is that it's impossible to remove race from the hiring equation, because race affects your applicants right up to the point they send in an application. If you say "I'm colorblind", you're also pretending that everyone else in the world is colorblind, and race had no impact on your applicants' resumes. Race is a society-wide issue, and it's not possible to solve without recognizing and…

By the time anyone of any race becomes a viable Google candidate, they have excelled in both high school and at elite universities, earned advanced degrees, and in many cases have already done interesting things in their field. Their socioeconomic background is irrelevant by that point in their lives. People wind up in Google interviews because they have earned the right to be there with the best and the brightest. A…

You're describing the world we all wish we lived in. There are plenty of studies showing that employers are less likely to consider a resume with a black-sounding name, regardless of their qualifications. The effect is usually subconscious and marginal, but it's there.

You're right, it is a shame for race to play a part, but we have a responsibility to work for the betterment of our society and not ignore the bad parts that don't affect us directly.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of affirmative action is that it's impossible to remove race from the hiring equation, because race affects your applicants right up to the point they send in an application. If you say "I'm colorblind", you're also pretending that everyone else in the world is colorblind, and race had no impact on your applicants' resumes. Race is a society-wide issue, and it's not possible to solve without recognizing and…

Today companies say that they only hire diverse people. Who is getting discriminated? Pls tell me

I'm describing how affirmative action should be used, not how it always is. Certainly there are plenty of companies who just want different colored people in their website photos so they don't look bad.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By the time anyone of any race becomes a viable Google candidate, they have excelled in both high school and at elite universities, earned advanced degrees, and in many cases have already done interesting things in their field. Their socioeconomic background is irrelevant by that point in their lives. People wind up in Google interviews because they have earned the right to be there with the best and the brightest. A…

You're describing the world we all wish we lived in. There are plenty of studies showing that employers are less likely to consider a resume with a black-sounding name, regardless of their qualifications. The effect is usually subconscious and marginal, but it's there. You're right, it is a shame for race to play a part, but we have a responsibility to work for the betterment of our society and not ignore the bad par…

I am describing a very specific part of the world that we do live in. Google applicants with any chance at all of being hired tend to be exceptional people that have already overcome most of the challenges that their socioeconomic background may have imposed upon them. Google recruiters aren't likely throwing out resumes with black-sounding names, if the resume their resume stacks up well against competing resumes of any other race. The effect you are describing exists in the world, but far less so at companies as selective and focused on innovation as Google.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#155

Is this legal? Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? I don't mean scholarships or other affirmative action type stuff. An actual entire school that excludes based on race? Where is my misunderstanding?

> Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? No.

Ask an honest question, get stupid one word non answers and downvotes.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#156

Is this legal? Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? I don't mean scholarships or other affirmative action type stuff. An actual entire school that excludes based on race? Where is my misunderstanding?

> Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? No.

[deleted]

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#157

Is this legal? Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? I don't mean scholarships or other affirmative action type stuff. An actual entire school that excludes based on race? Where is my misunderstanding?

> Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? No.

[deleted]

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#158

Is this legal? Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? I don't mean scholarships or other affirmative action type stuff. An actual entire school that excludes based on race? Where is my misunderstanding?

> Is this really a school that only allows people of a certain race? No.

[deleted]

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of affirmative action is that it's impossible to remove race from the hiring equation, because race affects your applicants right up to the point they send in an application. If you say "I'm colorblind", you're also pretending that everyone else in the world is colorblind, and race had no impact on your applicants' resumes. Race is a society-wide issue, and it's not possible to solve without recognizing and…

Today companies say that they only hire diverse people. Who is getting discriminated? Pls tell me

People who don't add to a diversity quota.

Re: Howard University opens a new campus at the Googleplex

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's absolutely fine to give extra advantages to people with low incomes. That's economic progressivism. It's wrong to give extra advantages based on genetics, essentially saying that some people "genetically poor" or "genetically rich", which is what Affirmative Action does.

That's exactly why affirmative action exists: It's wrong to give extra advantages based on genetics. Therefore, giving an extra advantage to someone who is not given those other extra advantages, evens the score.

Race is being used as a proxy for income.

Why not just use income?

There won't be glaring unfairness in the system where an upper middle class black kid gets preference over the child of poor, uneducated Fujian immigrants who can barely speak English

Post reply on HN